It is something of a surprise gift to many of the recipients, who have lobbied for the projects but saw the regular legislative session end on May 23 with no public works bill.

When Gov. Mark Dayton broke a budget impasse last week, one of his requirements was to pass a public works bill. Republicans who control the Legislature agreed and Howes pulled out a bill he already had ready and tweaked it to get enough Democrat votes to pass.

The House approved the measure 112-17 and the Senate 53-11. House debate took less than 10 minutes on a bill that often takes hours to discuss.